How does Romans 6:3 relate to the concept of original sin? Canonical Text Romans 6 : 3 “Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” Immediate Literary Context Paul has just declared that grace abounds where sin increased (5 : 20–21). Anticipating the objection that such grace invites moral license, he asks, “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (6 : 1). Verse 3 supplies the first theological reason why the answer must be “absolutely not” (6 : 2): believers have been united with Christ in His death. Original Sin Defined Original sin, biblically, is the inherited guilt and corrupt nature passed to all humanity through Adam’s transgression (Genesis 3; Psalm 51 : 5; Romans 5 : 12). Paul’s argument in Romans 5 : 12-21 sets Adam and Christ as federal heads. In Adam all die; in Christ all who believe are made alive. Original sin is therefore forensic (guilt) and moral (corruption). Federal Headship Bridge Between Romans 5 and Romans 6 Romans 5 explains how sin and death entered “through one man.” Romans 6 explains how union with a new Head reverses those consequences. Verse 3 functions as a hinge: the believer’s identification with Christ’s death is God’s judicial remedy for Adam’s inherited guilt. Baptism into Christ’s death declares the transfer from Adamic solidarity to Christic solidarity. Baptismal Union and the Death of the Old Adam 1. The pre-conversion self was “in Adam,” bearing original sin’s condemnation (Ephesians 2 : 1-3). 2. Baptism into Christ Jesus (a shorthand for Spirit-wrought incorporation symbolized by water, cf. 1 Corinthians 12 : 13; Titus 3 : 5) places the believer “into His death.” 3. Because Christ “died to sin once for all” (Romans 6 : 10), His death counts as the believer’s death to sin’s penalty rooted in original sin. Death, Burial, and Resurrection as the Pattern of Regeneration Paul’s triadic pattern (death-burial-resurrection, vv. 3-5) echoes Genesis creation imagery corrupted by the Fall and now renewed in Christ (2 Corinthians 5 : 17). Baptism indicates: • Death: judicial break with Adamic guilt. • Burial: removal from the realm dominated by original sin (cf. Colossians 2 : 12). • Resurrection: new life empowered by the Spirit, reversing total depravity’s paralysis. Legal and Transformative Dimensions Romans 6 addresses both justification (legal) and sanctification (transformative). Verse 3 locates the believer’s justification in participation with Christ’s once-for-all atonement, thereby annulling Adam’s condemnation (Romans 8 : 1). Simultaneously, it inaugurates sanctification: the tyranny of inherited corruption is broken so that “we too may walk in newness of life” (6 : 4). Old Testament Roots and Typology • Noah’s Flood (Genesis 6-9; 1 Peter 3 : 20-21) symbolizes death to a corrupt world and emergence of a new creation. • The Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14; 1 Corinthians 10 : 2) pictures deliverance from bondage inherited from patriarchal slavery. Paul, steeped in these texts, uses baptism language deliberately. Patristic and Reformation Witness • Augustine (Contra Julianum 1 : 13) linked Romans 6 : 3 with Romans 5 to defend infant baptism as the sign of cleansing from original sin. • The Reformers, e.g., Calvin (Institutes 4 : 15 : 6), retained the same logic while stressing faith’s instrumentality. Practical Exhortations • Reckon yourself dead to sin’s inherited reign (6 : 11). • Present your members to God as instruments of righteousness (6 : 13). • Proclaim baptism’s meaning evangelistically: only through Christ’s death does the curse of Adam end. Summary Romans 6 : 3 directly engages original sin by asserting that believers, united with Christ in His death through Spirit-wrought baptism, experience judicial release from Adamic guilt and moral liberation from Adamic corruption. The verse thus stands as the pivotal antithesis to original sin, anchoring the Christian’s identity in the death-defeating, resurrection-securing work of Jesus Christ. |
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